Woman killed pregnant mom and claimed the baby as hers, feds say. She’s prison-bound

A woman faces a mandatory life sentence in prison after pleading guilty to killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child, federal officials say.

Ashley Bush, a 33-year-old mother of three, was lured to a Maysville, Arkansas, convenience store Oct. 31, 2022, by Amber Waterman, who convinced Bush she had a job opportunity for her, according to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.

But there was no job opportunity. Instead, Waterman had given Bush a fake name and lured her to the store to kidnap her and claim her unborn child, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri said in a July 30, 2024, news release.

Bush, who the sheriff’s office said was 31 weeks pregnant, was later discovered shot and killed in Missouri, McClatchy News reported. Her child, authorities said, had already been found dead in a separate location.

Waterman told first responders Oct. 31 she had given birth in a truck while driving to a hospital, prosecutors said.

“But in reality, she admitted, the child was Bush’s child, who died in utero, as a result of Waterman’s kidnapping that resulted in the death of Bush,” according to the news release. “An autopsy indicated that Bush died as a result of penetrating trauma of the torso and her death was classified as a homicide.”

McClatchy News has reached out to an attorney representing Waterman and is awaiting a response.

Waterman took Bush from Maysville to her home in Pineville, Missouri, where her body was discovered by Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, “clothed and lying face down next to a boat next to the house,” prosecutors said.

The Watermans then burned Bush’s body before taking it in Jamie Waterman’s pickup truck to an area near their home, according to the complaint. Jamie Waterman, now 44, later showed investigators the “charred human body,” authorities said.

Amber Waterman, 44, initially pleaded not guilty, but the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported July 30 she had waived her right to a jury trial by pleading guilty to kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of a child in utero.

Bush’s family had hoped Amber Waterman would receive the death penalty, 4029TV reported.

Amber Waterman will be sentenced Oct. 15, prosecutors said. Her husband, charged with being an accessory after the fact resulting in death, has a jury trial scheduled for Oct. 21, court records show.

“This horrific crime resulted in the tragic deaths of two innocent victims,” U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said in a statement. “Today’s guilty plea holds this defendant accountable for her actions and ensures that justice will be served. She is now subject to a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole.”

This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Woman killed pregnant mom and claimed the baby as hers, feds say. She’s prison-bound."